


Rurumu no Bouken

by Reibunriinta



Series: Rurumu No Bouken [1]
Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, magi: sinbad no bouken
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Not really sure what to tag this, RIP, Retelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 16:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11513328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reibunriinta/pseuds/Reibunriinta
Summary: After her mother’s death, daughter of national chief Rametoto, Rurumu is determined to become a fierce warrior and everything else she needs to survive in a harsh environment. However, after meeting an assassin and hearing the cruelties of the outside world, she sets out on a series of adventures in her quest to create her own country.





	1. Golden Days of Youth

If someone had asked Ruru how she expected to spend her mother’s birthday, curled up atop a grave was not what she would have said. Yet, here she was, seven years old and already mourning the loss of half her family. 

The brother she never had was buried with her greatest friend. Now it was just her and her father, and without the calming presence of her mother, he was absolutely terrifying. Already she was having expectations piled on her as the daughter of the chief. No one would dare say it, but she was astute enough to know they expected her to fill the void left in her mother’s wake. 

She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t do it. These days it was hard for her to function normally, let alone begin training as a warrior on top of all her studies. Her father grew angry whenever she failed to deliver, already upset at her small size. “She will grow eventually” her mother had always said. She was like the goddess of patience, and it seemed like she had been the only thing that could calm her father’s temper. Without her, Ruru was defenseless, upset and broken. 

Warriors couldn’t be broken. She had to get over this. She had to fulfill her destiny. 

Even that concept was one her mother had bestowed her from an early age. Every time she spoke of it, she’d be positively glowing as she brought her little angel into her lap and told her how proud she was. “You’ll accomplish so many things we cannot even fathom”, she’d always said. “You’ll be the one to change this world” she said. But now she was dead. And the pressure to deliver to her people, living up to expectations so high she could barely comprehend, was overwhelming. The weight of destiny was beginning to feel a little less glorious and a lot more burdening, and she hadn’t even started on anything important. 

She didn’t know what to do. 

…

“That one looks like an abare narwhal.” Hina said, pointing at the clouds above them. 

Ruru nodded, laying at his side, holding his hand and wearing the smiles reserved only for him.

The two of them had befriended each other due to circumstance and necessity. The fact remained that Ruru was still small for her age, and after two years she was hardly growing. They were trying everything. She ate as much as she could, got as much protein as she needed. She just wasn’t growing. This didn’t stop her from training, however it made things difficult and when she was training with the monstrous presence that was her father; she sustained a lot of pain and little improvement. Her father was too fast, too harsh, and too impatient to train her the way she needed, but he was too caught up in his pride to understand this. She was convinced he wanted only to hurt her, and from the bottom of her heart she hated him. 

That’s when she met Hina, nearly as small as her and seen as incompetent. She’d met him by accident, after yet another youth decided to challenge her, going as far as attacking, and Hina came to her aid. This was a problem that would be easily solved if she told her father she was being bullied, as attacking the daughter of the chief would never do, but she was too scared to. She didn’t trust her father for anything. So instead she decided she needed to learn how to fight better. Hina needed to train himself, as the pressure on him was just as bad and in a lot of cases worse than her own. He had few friends outside of his family, and was rather shy about his perceived weakness.

And so they became sparring partners, and trained as often as they were able to. Ruru told no one of her new found friendship, and Hina had no one to tell outside his family. So in secret they had trained, and then in times like these they just cherished one another’s company. Finding the friendship they harbored priceless, they were grateful for peaceful moments like these. 

Pouting, Ruru tossed a rock towards the narwhal cloud, sticking out her tongue. “We’ll get you one day…” Though there wasn’t much malice in her heart. More just upsettedness.

“When do they want you to become a warrior anyway?” Hina asked curiously. 

Ruru let out a huff. “My father? Yesterday. Well...no that’s an exaggeration but like….he wants me to devote every minute to honing my strength...the only reason he’s as supportive of all my studies as he’s been is because mom made them a priority. Now it’s all strength training….I hate it.”

“Do you not want to be a warrior?”

She frowned, pondering. “Well...in all honesty no. I’m going to do it...because I have to to make everyone happy...but that’s not what’s important in the grand scheme of things.” 

“Then what do you want to do?” He asked curiously. 

Ruru shrugged. “I dunno yet exactly...but...I want to travel...mama always encouraged me to learn about the outsiders...and well...there’s a lot of bad things I’ve read about them...like the different wars and what they did to people like the Fanalis...but there are good things too. There’s entire cultures and countries and people...just...waiting to be discovered...friends and alternate views on life just waiting out there...ya’know?”

Hina stared blankly. “Not...not really no. But I guess it sounds alright...but don’t you think you’d just get into trouble?”

Ruru shrugged.”Well that’s the fun part isn’t it?” 

Hina rolled his eyes. “You keep thinking like that and I’ll have to be the one to bail you out for the rest of eternity.”

“I’d like that...yeah...you’re good...you can get me outta trouble someday.” 

“Or you could stay out of trouble...it’d be easier.” 

Ruru stuck out her tongue. “But where’s the fun in that?”

Hina poked her playfully. “You’re such a kid!”

“Hey I’m older than you, shortie!”

“Who you callin’ shortie?!” 

A few playful nudges later and the two of them were laughing and play fighting as any normal children did in their position. For now at least they were still young, and even though things were rough for them, they had each other and that friendship was more valuable than anything. How unfortunate then that even that friendship would become strained.


	2. A Deadlier Stray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rurumu is visited by a young, snark filled, assassin and fights with her father to spare his life despite his desire to take her own.

Time flashed and crawled by respectively, acting out it’s eerie dance that was ever binding and ever elusive. The years passed and with them Ruru and Hina grew older, wiser, and most importantly stronger. Ruru was the bigger of them now, something that happened once she hit puberty and grew like a tree. With the new use of her physique, she was able to train harder with both Hina and her father. By the time she was sixteen, Ruru now named Rurumu, was able to defeat an Abare Narwhal and become the warrior her people desperately needed her to be.  

She’d hated everything about becoming a warrior though. The test, the endless training that came with it, and all her new obligations and roles as a warrior. Because she was kept preoccupied so constantly her connection with Hina became strained. She wanted to spend more time around him than ever but she had other duties and then there was the matter of his self esteem. As Hina grew older and older and still could not defeat the Abare Narwhal the ostracization got worse and Hina grew more distant, devoting all his time to becoming a warrior and having less times for those outside of their family.

They still met in secret occasionally, and their promise to get married once he became a warrior was still intact, but they were growing more and more distant as each year passed and Rurumu was getting worried.

Surely, things were becoming more perilous for the both of them. Just that day she had been informed of a mysterious tower that had been discovered. Many warriors had been sent in but none of them had returned. Surely, Hina’s hesitance to become a warrior was at the moment a blessing. After all, she never wished for him to be sent to such a place. She wanted to protect him, but she feared that if she became strong enough she would lose even him.

All of this was stuck in Rurumu’s mind as she lay in bed staring up at the dark ceiling. She was all of twenty-five now, and yet all she’d done was become a warrior. She hadn’t ever left the tribe, nor had she effected any significant change in destiny or humanity. She felt as though she was slowly going mad in what she perceived to be this useless state. She felt restless, impulsive, like she wanted— no needed— to do something crazy.

Shaking this feeling away she closed her eyes and shifted slightly, trying to force her restless mind into sleep.

She had almost managed this when she heard something. The sound was faint, a sort of sliding sound and it came from directly above her. Opening her eyes just a slither she saw that one of boards on the ceiling had been pried open and two green eyes were staring down at her. Blinking, she stared just a moment before realizing it was a stray cat or some other small animal. She wasn’t allowed to keep any of her pets indoors so she’d have to catch this one and take in somewhere safe later, in the meantime she needed sleep.

Closing her eyes again she had almost fallen asleep when there was a crashing sound and the cat along with the loose board had come crashing down towards her. In her panic, and on instinct, she rolled off her bed just in time for both projectiles to come crashing down atop her bed.

Turning and looking up then her jaw dropped and her eyes widened; the intruder wasn’t a cat an all but an assassin.  

“Shit!” The child, obscured by a poncho and numerous bandages, cursed under their breath as they tried to pull the knives that had gotten stuck in the bed frame back out.

Quickly, Rurumu stood and took a fighting position, although she’d rather not hurt this person. “Who are you?!” She demanded in a whisper.

Eyes flashing, they turned to face her just as they managed to retrieve their knives and lunge at her.

Perhaps they weren’t expecting her speed considering her size, but Rurumu managed to sidestep them. Spinning in the air, they managed to catch the side of her arm with one of their blades, however the cut was shallow, barely causing Rurumu to flinch.

Grabbing her spear from her bedside just as the child went sprawling to the floor, she shoved it towards them, careful not to actually stab them with it, and effectively trapped them there laying face down on the floor.

“I said who are you?!” She demanded again softly.  

They were silent, staring up at her in contempt. Their green eyes the only bit of color on them aside from their red strings, they seemed demanded and threatening, but really they reminded Rurumu of an injured animal more so than anything.

Holding them in place still, she quickly kicked their knives away from them and scooped them up by their poncho. Retrieving some rope she kept in her room in case of an strangely specific emergencies such as these, she tied them up and set them down. Noticing the knives were attached to strings then she frowned and unattached them, tucking them away in her pocket. Kneeling down then she stared over the assassin.

“Who are you and why are you trying to kill me?!”

Silence.

She didn’t want to hurt him but she had to do something. She tried again, her voice remaining as calm as she could manage it in fear of alerting the others to the assassins presence before she could get the information she needed.

“Please, I can’t help you if I don’t know these things.” She said softly.

The assassin scoffed, rolling their eyes indignantly. “Help me? That’s impossible.”

Hearing their voice, how bitter it sounded, made her heart waver slightly. Who was this child really, and what had they been through to put them in this position? What great injustice had driven the poor young human to feel the need to take up arms and join the undergrounds of murder and political intrigue. The possibilities were equal part curious and concerning, and Rurumu was longing for the truth and this child’s backstory.

“What’s a child like you doing working as an assassin?” She asked gently, her voice soft and mild as she wished to let this child no she meant no harm, a difficult task considering she had him tied up and they would be considered enemies.

Eyes narrowing they scowled at her. “What’s a bitch like you doing as daughter of chief?”

Rurumu sighed, having not expected the sass although it wasn’t really a surprise all things considering. After all, if she was in his position she supposed she’d be rather hostile too.

“Won’t you at least tell me your name? I really do want to help you.”

The assassin shook their head. “No. I’m not stupid I know you’ll just kill me.”

Hearing this her heart fell. This poor child, what must they have been through to consider life and death situations to be a picture of normalcy?

Frowning then, she shook her head in disagreement. “No actually…I won’t kill a child. Ever. It’s just not happening.”

A bitter scoff was brought to her attention as the child sneered up at her incredulously. “You’d be the first then. Why should I believe you?”

She shrugged. “You don’t have much choice do you?”

She hated to force this kid into anything, after all he seemed so small and helpless, but really he was trying to kill her and this was an interrogation, so she supposed she would have to get some information from him eventually.

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

The child huffed, jutting out their jaw and they made to cross his arms although the ropes restricted them, causing them to scowl and stare at the restraints dangerously, as though he’d like nothing more than to set them on fire and strangle her with them. Though perhaps it was best if she didn’t imagine such things.

“I’m not letting you go until you do.” She stated sternly, her patients wavering finally.

“So be it.” Another scoff that made her purse her lips and take a deep inhale and exhale of pure frustration.

“Fine.” She muttered.

“Fine.” They repeated crossly.

For several minutes she just stayed there staring at them. The poor kid may not have been a cat like she’d originally thought, but they were definitely a stray. Their clothes were dirty, ragged, and she noticed scars on the insides of their legs. Their face was obscured by the bandages, so she couldn’t see much other than the bright green eyes and the mess of dark gray hair that seemed to have dirt on it as well as what looked like traces of blood stains.

Frowning, she reached forward and unwrapped the bandages, flinching back when they tried to bite her but managing to get them off. The boy from behind the bandages was not what she had expected. A very young freckled face was what she was met with, far less venomous than his expression portrayed.

“Awe…you’re kinda cute.” She muttered without thinking.

“Shut up!” He exclaimed. “I’m not cute I’ll fucking kill you!”

Frowning deeper she put a finger to her lips and shushed him. “Are you crazy? If you don’t quiet down my father will kill you!”

He scoffed. “Don’t order me around you hag! I’ll be as loud as I fucking want to!”

She shushed him again, this time more urgently. “Stop! You’ll wake him.”

Sensing her fear he smirked and spoke up loudly “What was that?! I couldn’t hear you! MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK LOUDER!”

Panicking she clapped her hand to his mouth, covering his whole face essentially, and yelped when he bit her.

She was hoping her father hadn’t heard but it was too late. She could already hear his footsteps echoing, the booming sounds that in the past had led to another fight. The sounds that had been a prerequisite for another beating. Tensing up on instinct, Rurumu tried to think of a way to hide him. She was about to scoop him up and hide him in her bedding but she heard the footsteps stop and new there would be no winning. Panic rising in her, she took a deep breath and resolved to react calmly.

The door slammed open then and her father, along with two guards that had heard the commotion and were worried, burst into the room.

When the assassin saw the sheer size and strength of Rametoto, how he towered over the both of them, and how he looked so sincerely menacing, there was visible regret as his shoulders sagged and his eyes widened slightly. “Well shit.”

Rurumu’s eyes darted to him a moment and she gave him a look of pure exasperation. What kind of assassin was this reckless? Did this kid want to die? Why hadn’t he stopped screaming?  

“RURUMU, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?”

Standing then, Rurumu tensed up at her father’s booming voice. No matter what she said she knew she couldn’t calm him. She never did.

“That’s what I was trying to find out.” She said coldly, all the empathy within tabled and absent from her countenance. She stared at her father knowing little affection, little sympathy.  She just needed to send him away and be done with it, but doing so would not be easy.

“It’s just a stray…I’ll release it back into it’s natural habitat soon.”

She heard the boy scoff and roll his eyes and resisted a sigh. He was really making this hard on her, wasn’t he?

“Rurumu…do I look like a fool to you?” Her father whispered, staring at her with eyes that sparkled dangerously, as dangerous as they always were before things became violent and she felt weighted by her life’s seemingly endless insanity.

Despite his dangerously quiet tone, and despite the fear that was welling up inside her heart, Rurumu stood her ground and managed to stop her hands from shaking.

“No you do not, father. Neither do I…I’m perfectly capable of handling-”

“SILENCE!”

He tried to smack her but she caught his wrist, glaring at him with equal menace, with the contempt that had only grown with her from the day of her mother’s passing.Going silent however, she took a step back, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“IS THERE AN OUTSIDER IN OUR HOUSEHOLD YES OR NO!?”

Rurumu bit her lip in frustration. “Yes. Obviously but—”

“YOU KNOW OUTSIDERS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THIS TRIBE!”

“YEAH I KNOW BUT IT’S NOT MY FAULT HE TRIED TO KILL ME!”

As soon as she burst that she knew she’d made a mistake. The look of pure unbridled rage, now directed at the assassin, was unmistakable.

Knowing exactly what was about to happen, Rurumu jumped into action. Her father, caught up in his endless fury, grabbed the spear from one of the guards and in a flash was lunging at the child.

A shrill scream was heard but cut off by the clanging of spear on spear. The sound echoed through the room as the intensity of the moment came full circle and Rurumu glared at her father with as more ferocity as she dared. The endless power struggle between them continuing.

Rurumu stood protectively over the child who had been trying to kill her less than an hour before. Perhaps a foolish decision but she refused to lose another child to her father, refused to watch him end another life as she had always had to witness silently.

“What are you doing?!” Rametoto demanded.

Rurumu took a deep breath, speaking up boldly. “He may be an assassin father, but he is also only a child! I have detained him for questioning and I will not let you harm him!”

There was a tense silence before Rurumu spoke up again, more softly this time. “Father please…I’ve done all you asked, please just trust me.”

Rametoto was silent a long moment, his eyes darting between his daughter and the young and currently defenseless assassin. He couldn’t do it. He dropped his spear. Rurumu hardly knew her father’s intentions, but she’d like to think murdering a child was something he wouldn’t do. At the very least she was relieved even though she knew for their trust, or lack thereof, this meant nothing. At least the child would be safe, that’s all she cared about for the time being.

“Fine.” He said coldly, seething violently. “But he’s going to the dungeon. You two! Put him in chains!”

The two guards were quick to grab the child and carry him away, flashing one another helpless looks before glancing in fear at Rurumu. As she watched them leave she heaved a sigh of relief and let the curiosity return alongside her usual empathy. Why was that child trying to kill her? Would she find a way to save him? Or would he be forever lost in the darkness?

For the first time in what felt like forever, she had reached the next chapter of her destiny.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A relatively long chapter here sorry, but I hope you liked it well enough. Tell me what you think in the comments if you'd like. Thanks for reading. <3


	3. An Adventure's Outset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The assassin reveals his identity and Rurumu smuggles him to Valefor's dungeon

The dungeon was even colder than the rest of the place, and though Rurumu certainly didn’t mind the cold, she could practically hear the boy’s shivering the moment she entered. Holding the blanket she’d borrowed uncertainly, she carried it and a hot bowl of soup down with her. She doubted her father or the guards would consider the poor kid was freezing and likely hadn’t eaten in weeks, so she took it upon herself to care for him.

When she saw him, tied up completely still, with all his weapons kept locked up on the opposite side of the dungeon, she couldn’t help but pity him. If he’d just listened to her he could have avoided all this, but she supposed in his place she wouldn’t likely listen to her target either. 

Entering his cell then, she spoke up softly. “I brought you some soup...and a blanket.” 

He just scowled up at her. “I’m not eating that poison.” 

Sighing, Rurumu set down the bowl and helped him into a sitting position before she wrapped the blanket around him. He scowled still, but she could see him start to relax a bit once he had the blanket to give him some of the warmth he was lacking. 

“If I wanted you dead...I would have let my father kill you.” She said quietly, holding the soup up to him. 

He stared at it a moment hungrily before giving up. “Fine...I’ll eat the fucking soup are you happy now?” 

Smiling a bit, Rurumu nodded and started feeding it to him. “A little bit yeah...but I’ll be happier when you tell me your name and why you were trying to kill me…” 

His eyes widened a bit when he tasted the soup, and perhaps because of that, he started to open up a little bit. “Ja’far. And I’m an assassin.” 

She nodded. “I figured as much...but why me...who sent you?” 

Ja’far shook his head. “Can’t say.”

Rurumu frowned then, but she supposed an assassin revealing such information could mean death if it ever got back to them. Still she was determined to learn the truth. 

“Hm….can you say where you’re from at least?” 

He nodded. “An assassin’s guild in Parthevia.”

Parthevia? What would they want with Imuchakk?   
Rurumu’s frown grew deeper. To assassinate the daughter of the chief would certainly mean war, and a war between Imuchakk and Parthevia would be disastrous on both ends with very little to gain. She wracked her brain for anything that had recently happened that would cause Parthevia to do this...something unusual something that might hold an enormous amount of power….what could that possible be unless…

“Are they after the tower?” Rurumu asked suddenly. “The tower that just appeared near one of our tribes...it seems to hold unspeakable power within….but no one we’ve sent has returned.” 

Ja’far was silent a minute before he nodded. “It’s called a dungeon sheesh don’t you know anything?” He scoffed a bit, although there wasn’t much edge in his tone. “Look all I know is they want that shit for the war or something and I have to clear the way for them.” 

“By killing me?” Rurumu asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “But what does killing me solve? As daughter of chief I’m not allowed near the place...I’m too important apparently…..” 

“Well that’s stupid.” He said bluntly. “Aren’t you like a warrior or something.”

She nodded. “Imuchakk’s fiercest warrior is yours truly...but mostly I just oversee things and help kids learn to fight...well...that and hunting but that’s not really anything special…” 

Ja’far seemed unfazed. “Fascinating. But doesn’t that shit get boring? Don’t you want a real challenge for once?” 

Rurumu nodded. “Of course...to be honest I don’t even want to stay in Imuchakk...there’s so much more out there I’d rather see...what is it like...on the outside I mean?” 

Ja’far just scoffed, averting his gaze bitterly. “You’re better off here where your spoiled and shit...out they’re everything’s shitty and it’s dark and you’re fucked if you make too many mistakes…” He chuckled a bit. “You wouldn’t last ten minutes in the real world, princess.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, Rurumu sighed. “Yeah...I’ve heard it can get pretty bad out there...the only real contact we’ve had with outsiders have been with violent people…...like you…” A frown graced her features then, concern for this child’s welfare surfacing. “Where are your parents anyway? For a child so young to be in a line of work so shameful as this...what must you have gone through…?” 

Ja’far averted his gaze once again. “My parents they…….” there was a long silence before he looked up again, before hiding his face in the blanket, letting out what she assumed to be a small cry . “I was taken from them...about a year ago...we were just living peacefully in our home near Parthevia’s capital….when suddenly the assassins attacked…” He shivered then. “When I think about the way I was ripped from my mother’s arms...how badly she was crying…..such injustice...I can hardly bear it.”

“Are...are they still alive?” Rurumu asked softly. 

Ja’far nodded. “They were likely just sold into slavery or something...I don’t really know what happened...but I haven’t been able to hear from them since….since I was taken and...and now I have to work as an assassin….I hate it so much….I would rather die than to take another life but I have to carry on for my parents sake!” 

There was a long silence before Rurumu got an idea. “Hey...that dungeon thing you were talking about...you think the power is enough to save your parents?” 

Ja’far’s eyes widened. “Yeah….it...it might be actually….I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that but…” he frowned. “But no...that would never work...after all you’d need me to help you through..and..and I have to stay here as a prisoner….it’s the right thing to do after all. I’ve finally been caught.” 

He hid his face again and sniffled, wiping away the tears he’d been holding back until then. 

Every sense in Rurumu told her something was amiss about this, after all he had just been trying to kill her a few hours before, but what if he was telling the truth? What if his parents really were out there somewhere needing her help, and what if she really could help this small child be happy and safe again? 

Granted, she figured even if he was lying, she would need his knowledge of dungeons to get this power, and that was something she wanted anyway. After all she wouldn’t be able to change anything without it. 

In just a few minutes of processed silence, she was cutting through his ropes. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do.” She whispered to him. “I’ll hide you in my hair and sneak you out of here, then we’ll head to the dungeon and capture it together. From there we figure out our plan of liberating you and your parents, got it?” 

Ja’far stared at her incredulously a moment before he nodded, face brightening. “Nice. Let’s do it.” 

…

Sneaking out of the place with Ja’far was surprisingly easy. No one suspected that Rurumu would help an outsider and assassin out of prison to go capture some dungeon from which no others had returned. In retrospect even she was a bit surprised she was trying this, but something about the dungeon called to her, and the need to fill the void of emptiness inside her with change and challenge was stronger than ever. 

As soon as they were out of sight however, Ja’far began grumbling loudly.   
“I can’t fucking breathe. You’re crushing me, bitch. How the fuck is your hair this fucking heavy?!” 

Giggling a bit, she helped him out of his fluffy blue prison, and pulled her hair into a giant ponytail atop her head. 

“Sorry about that...I haven’t cut my hair since I was little so….it can be pretty heavy….good for hiding little children in though I guess.”

Ja’far scowled at her. “I’m not that little and I’m not a fucking child!”

Rurumu’s eyes widened. “You’re not? I thought you were two or three…” 

“The fuck?! I’M NOT THAT SMALL DAMN IT! I’m like...ten years old now can we get on with this please?” 

“Oh….I didn’t realize outsiders were so much smaller...sorry...you..you look great though! I’m sure you're very um tall for your age!” Rurumu encouraged, stifling a giggle although she knew what it was like to be small for her age as he was. 

“Don’t patronize me.” 

…

The trek to the dungeon took longer than Rurumu would have liked, and eventually she was compelled to scoop Ja’far up and carry him before the cold got to him too much. 

“I’m not a baby you don’t have to carry me!” He grumbled, but also more or less cuddled into her for warmth. He had the blanket from before wrapped around him still, but it wasn’t much considering it was snowing out. 

“Oh don’t be so cross about it...it’s not a big deal….how come you’re dressed so lightly anyway...wouldn’t you want to wear something more protective from the cold knowing you’re going to the ‘unexplored region of the extreme north’?” Rurumu asked curiously as she made her way in the direction of the dungeon. 

“That’s. That’s none of your business!” He snapped. Pouting then, he averted his gaze. “It’s harder to attack people with lots of weight on me….also this is the only thing I own.” 

“Hm...that’s troublesome…..first thing we’re doing when we get back is going clothes shopping.” She panted, making her way through the snow that was ever piling around them seemingly endless. This was typical for early spring, but for Ja’far’s sake she was worried.

“Oh joy. Shopping. My favorite activity.” The sarcasm was strong with this one, and though she supposed he needed an attitude adjustment, for the moment it was actually pretty amusing. 

When they made it to the dungeon, Rurumu stopped and stared a minute at it, setting Ja’far down who also stared at it, although more blankly. 

Sitting atop an iceberg, with raging waterfalls on all sides but one, rested the dungeon’s entrance. The building was strange looking, and not at all what Rurumu had expected. 

Twelve large pillars held up the entrance, and the entrance itself was ornate and seemed enchanting. Dark vines framed the open door, the top had strange symbols on the top of it and in the middle of those symbols an aquamarine. 

“Well they certainly stayed true to the winter theme…” Ja’far said disinterestedly. “Are we going to ever like...go in...or are we just going to stand here wasting time?” 

“Sorry it just seems...so interesting. Yeah..let’s go in.” 

When they got closer to the entrance it began to glow brightly, a light piercing from within the dungeon and illuminating them. 

“Once we go in...we won’t be able to come back out until I...I mean we capture it...are you ready?” Ja’far asked her carefully. 

Rurumu nodded. “Ready as I ever will be...let’s go.” 

They’d hardly entered before they found themselves being sucked into the void that was Valefor’s dungeon.


	4. Valefor's Dungeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rurumu and Ja'far face the first challenges of Valefor's dungeon

When Rurumu opened her eyes all she could see was stars. They were all around them, and she and Ja’far both seemed to be in some kind of a beam of light. Below them was a bright red sphere, that looked like it could be an entire new planet. 

As she and Ja’far were pulled down towards it, she looked over to see he was unconscious still and she held onto him instinctively, afraid by some chance they would be separated. 

In mere seconds she was touching ground again. The room around her was dark but she looked around curiously, still holding Ja’far as she did so. 

A single step forward caused light to flood the room illuminating the mystery that was their surroundings. 

This was the most vibrant place Rurumu had ever seen! 

Mainly the place was a soft blue color, the icy floor and surrounding waters were brighter than Rurumu was used to however, and enchanting. There were rainbow colored sea shells and coral in colors she didn’t even knew they had or wanted. There were crystals in vibrant purples and violets and baby blues, however what caught Rurumu’s attention the most were the tiny pink butterflies that floated gently through the air. 

One of them landed on Ja’far’s face and she gave the tiniest of giggles. He twitched a bit but was still unconscious. The butterfly gently crawled up to one of his cheeks and stopped near one of his freckles. 

“Awe...do you want to be his friend?” She whispered playfully, leaning in a bit to get a closer look. 

Wasn’t this dungeon supposed to be dangerous? Why would there be precious little angels there to greet them unless….? 

“Ow!” 

Ja’far bolted up and punched Rurumu in the face instinctively, catching her right in the jaw. Rurumu yelped and took a few step backwards, right into where the butterflies were swarming. 

There was a shrill scream, actually two screams, one deeper and the other a childish shriek, as the two of them were covered in the little demons that bit down into them all over with what seemed to be metal pinchers. 

They were sliding on the floor then, towards what seemed to be a giant hole of death, and Ja’far was screaming in Rurumu’s ear. 

“WHY ARE THERE BUTTERFLIES?! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?! RURUMU WHY ARE WE FALLING TO OUR DEATHS FUCKING DO SOMETHING BITCH!” 

Panicking, Rurumu managed to keep a grip on her spear and stabbed it into the ground with all her might, managing to stop them from falling. 

As soon as they were steady, Ja’far jumped up and began swatting at the butterflies, screaming at the top of his lungs still. “FUCK OFF YOU BASTARDS I WILL KILL YOU!” 

Rurumu panted as the butterflies still swarmed her and tried to look for an out. “The water!” 

“What?!” Ja’far was too busy fighting off the tiny foes and screaming to hear her. 

Grunting with the effort, Rurumu pulled herself up and grabbed Ja’far, tucking him under her arm before diving into the nearby water. 

The butterflies stopped attacking, flying away from the surface as Ja’far screamed and got water caught in his throat. Panicking, he kicked at her and thrashed in her arms until she let go of him and let him float back up to the top of the lake to breathe. 

Coughing up the water then, he screamed one more time for good measure before taking a deep breathe and scratching the back of his head shyly. “Man...almost lost my cool back there….” 

Rurumu snickered. “Almost?” 

“Oh fuck off!” Ja’far snapped. 

“You should watch your language.” Rurumu said sternly. 

“You should watch your language.” Ja’far repeated, his voice mimicking her own and emanating the sarcasm from within. 

Rurumu sighed and looked down at the lake itself. “Hm….that’s interesting….” 

“What is?” Ja’far asked curiously, staring at her blankly. 

She turned to face him. “Well...there’s no other paths to take before the lake….and the lake’s water is flowing...I think there’s a junction...so swimming down must be the only way.” 

Ja’far nodded. “Sounds great to me...let’s go!” He was about to dive back down when he stopped. “Wait….how long will I have to hold my breath...I don’t really want to die today so…..” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Rurumu reassured him. “I’m Imuchakk’s fastest swimmer, I’ll have you safely to the other side in no time!” 

Ja’far stared a moment before averting his gaze. “Alright fine. Because I have no other options I suppose I’ll indulge you.” 

Rurumu gave a small smile and nodded. “Alright...take a deep breath and tell me when you're ready.” 

Ja’far did as he was told, puffing out his cheeks as he inhaled deeply. Giving her a thumbs up then, she grabbed him and went barreling through the water as quickly as she could manage without hurting him. 

She found the underwater path in an instant, and was blazing through without any problems, relieved that something in this bizarre realm would be easy. 

But then suddenly, something caught onto Ja’far and ripped him out of her arms. He screamed, letting go of his remaining breath and thrashed as the thing wrapped its tentacles around him.

The monster, a giant carnivorous Sea Anenome, was trying to grab at Rurumu as well but she managed to dodge it. The thing was huge and Rurumu felt panic rise in her as she tried to think of a swift attack plan. 

Kicking at the water and thrusting herself forward, she cut Ja’far loose and attempted to grab him however the tentacles grew back instantly and wrapped themselves around Ja’far again pulling him down. 

Ja’far seemed to go through all five stages of grief in a moment, as to be expected of a young man about to be eaten by a giant aquatic monster, before being swallowed up completely. 

Nearly screaming, Rurumu grabbed her spear and thrust it into the creature's mouth, stopping it from biting down on Ja’far as he fell into it’s stomach. He gulped for air then, and look around. 

“I’m….not even going to fucking questions this. Not doing it.” 

“HURRY UP AND KILL IT FROM INSIDE!” Rurumu commanded. 

“YEAH NO SHIT!” Ja’far shouted as he began hacking at the thing with his knives. 

The creature screamed out in pain and tried to bite down on Rurumu’s spear. “UM CAN YOU SPEED THAT UP A BIT?!”

“FUCK YOU I’M TRYING!”   
Finally, once the creature was dead, Rurumu extended her spear down to him and he grabbed onto it. Once they were back in the water itself, Rurumu pulled him quickly to the surface where they collapsed and let themselves rest. They knew now that nothing in this place would be easy, but at least with a little teamwork they could prevail. All in all, Rurumu decided that despite Ja’far’s obvious character flaws, she was in the best of company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating the fic in a while, it's finished already but I wasn't able to upload much due to personal things. ^_^


	5. Betrayal And Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rurumu is betrayed and someone special comes to her rescue

“Alright, let’s stop for now.” Rurumu panted, barely sitting up and resting against the wall of the dungeon.

“What? The princess can’t take a bit of roughhousing?” Ja’far asked, wheezing slightly as he followed suit. 

Rurumu just groaned tiredly. 

Ja’far nodded. “Aah ye same...that was...not how I wanted today to go….or this week...or actually I just fucking hate my life.” 

Rurumu frowned a bit. “Is it that bad?” She cringed, the question being foolish. “Er that is...how bad is it...Sham Lash that is?”

Ja’far scoffed. “How bad is it? You really wanna know?”

Rurumu nodded.

“Well it’s none of your damn business!” Ja’far snapped, but when they fell silent and he felt her eyes on him he conceded. 

“Well….it’s shitty and dark and everyone’s mean….that’s what Jahduh always said anyway.” He muttered darkly. “If you make one too many mistakes they’ll kill you...and horrifying punishments and experiments is a normal thing...not to mention all the training…” 

Rurumu’s frown deepened. “Who’s Jahduh?”

Ja’far scoffed, waving her off. “Oh her? That’s just the bitch that birthed me…” 

“Wait what?” Rurumu’s eyes narrowed as the reality of what he’d just said sunk in. 

His mother had been in Sham Lash? He hadn’t been kidnapped after all then? And he’d been using her this whole time? What else was he lying about? She...she should never have trusted him! 

There was a tense silence before he realized why she was scowling and he took a deep breath, exhaling. “Well shit….” 

The attack came quick and Rurumu barely had time to duck before she would receive a knife to the face. She managed to dodge the first attack by some miracle, and quickly fell back. “So you lied to me! Why?!” She demanded sternly. 

“I was desperate okay!” Ja’far exclaimed as he lunged at her again, causing her to take another step back. “I can’t even believe you fell for it! Me? Wanting to save my parents?!” 

He cackled then. “Bitch I murdered those fucks when I was practically a baby!” 

Rurumu’s eyes widened, her hands trembling slightly. Who...How could someone do such a thing? How could such young child murder their own family? 

“How...Why would you do such a thing?!” She demanded. “Answer me!”

The assassin said nothing but dived at her, attempting to push past her defenses. 

She managed to stop the attack, and hit him away with the back of her spear. He went sprawling backwards but managed to land on all fours like a cat. “Tch.” He wiped the blood off his lip where she’d accidentally busted it. 

“Ja’far, stop it!” She demanded. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Oh save it!” Ja’far scoffed. “You don’t fucking care about me and you can drop that stupid act of yours pretending you do!” 

“Well for the record I did...no...I do care about you.” Rurumu stated. “But more importantly, you can’t defeat me!” 

Ja’far scoffed again, staring her down with all possible intensity. “Whatever bitch they’ll be here any moment and then it’s all over for you!” 

Rurumu was about to ask who he was referring too, when she became aware of three others entering the clearing.

“That’s really cool how you just...froze the lake like that so we could dig through!” One of the assassins, a soft looking young man who had a floof of lavender hair and a small smile, exclaimed as he scratched the back of his head nervously. She would have thought him normal were it not for the noticeable scar across his face and the giant double sided spear he held nonchalantly.

“I know what I did, you do not have to tell me. Now silence!” The woman he was talking to snapped. She was mostly hidden under her lilac robes that suited that of royalty. Her face was masked with a mint colored netted cloth, and she held a mysterious staff in one hand. 

The assassin scoffed and averted his gaze. “Well fuck you too then.” He muttered. “At least Mahad appreciates me.” 

Mahad, a large and muscular man covered in strange looking scars, that had flowing black hair and the complexion of a goddess, and whose face was obscured by a long white cloth, merely grunted, nodding his approval. 

“Who are they?” Rurumu demanded at Ja’far, who wasn’t even listening. 

He jumped backwards and practically skipped to his comrades. “Where have you lazy bastards been?! I’ve been waiting for you both!” 

“Assassin! Have you captured the target?!” The woman asked sternly. 

Ja’far nodded. “Yeah yeah she’s right here...she found me out though but it doesn’t matter let’s just kill her and get this over with!” 

“You got it chief!” 

As the three assassins charged forward, Rurumu took a defensive position, readying her spear. 

The first to attack was Ja’far, and she was quick to hit him back again. Next the lavender haired assassin threw his spear at her. She ducked and it went flying over her head. 

“Nice going dumbass!” Ja’far cursed. 

The assassin didn’t respond and instead went to retrieve the spear as Ja’far made another attack, this one she managed to block again. Instead of running all the way to retrieve it like Rurumu had expected, his arms began to stretch. They went snaking forward, stretching in an inhuman fashion, and her eyes bulged as she witnessed him doing so. 

“Yo Vittel! Wanna come fucking do something useful!” Ja’far shrieked. 

“I’m on it!” Vittel shouted and was quick to grab his weapon and charge at Rurumu. 

She turned and blocked his attack only to notice Ja’far had jumped into action. In just a few moments she had his strings binding her and was pulled to the ground. 

“Mahad! Now!”

Suddenly, Mahad’s muscles bulged an ungodly amount and he balled his fists and pounded down on her chest full force. 

The ground cracked and Rurumu tried to cry out, but instead coughed up blood. Struggling with the strings she looked up again to see Vittel standing over her, spear at the ready. 

“Do it!” Ja’far commanded and Rurumu closed her eyes, for the first time in along while fear for her life pulsing through her. 

So this was it? She was going to die here? Killed because she trusted an assassin for the off chance he might need her help. 

She’d never get to capture the dungeon or change the world. She’d never be able to leave Imuchakk. And she never would get to stand up to her father. She wouldn’t even be able to marry the man of her dreams. 

“It all ends here!” 

She tensed up, knowing the stab was coming but snapped her eyes back open when she heard the clanging familiar of spear on spear. 

Above her was her beloved Hina, where he’d come from she had no idea, but boy was she glad to see him. “Hina!” 

He didn’t respond, instead focused on fighting off the assassins. First he pushed Vittel back, and then managed a low sweep kick at Mahad, causing him to stumble back and fall. Cutting the strings loose with the spear then, he grabbed Rurumu by the hands and took of running. 

She saw their destination was the water immediately and prepared to swim. Taking a deep breath she dived head first and swam as quickly as she could, Hina right behind her. 

When the water rapidly became colder and she noticed it starting to freeze, Rurumu panicked and grabbed hina’s arm, pulling him as fast as she could until they saw the surface up ahead. Hina gave her a desperate push and she surface on the other side. Gasping for air, she heaved him up onto dry ground before they both collapsed. 

They just laid there then, and smiling softly, Rurumu gently took his hand. “So….um….what was that before about you not coming to bail me out of trouble?” 

He looked over at her and sighed. “I….honestly what the hell Rurumu?” 

He sat up and she noticed the anger behind his eyes then and followed suit. “I...I thought I would capture the dungeon.” 

“But why?!” he demanded harshly, causing Rurumu to flinch. “You’re a warrior already!” He exclaimed. “You’re already perfect! Everyone loves you!” He frowned and averted his gaze. “You’re...you’re not like me.” 

Rurumu’s face softened, and she reached out to him. “Hina...you...you came here to become a warrior didn’t you?” 

He flinched away but then nodded, sighing. “Uh yeah...I just figured...if I was so worthless at defeating the Abare Narwhal then I’d gain the power of the dungeon and then your dad would let us get married and everyone would stop shaming my family...but….” His voice was bitter as he continued. “Looks like you beat me to it, your highness.” 

Rurumu frowned at the nickname. “Hey...don’t act so sad…” She said softly, cupping his face gently in her hands. “If you’re strong enough to conquer this dungeon, I won’t try to stop you...and even if you’re not I’ll find a way for us to get married.” She soothed, smiling. 

The frown came back then as reality came crashing back in. “However, we have to conquer this place before the assassins and that mysterious woman do...otherwise we’ll have a war on our hands now come on.” 

Hina nodded and she helped him up, pulling him into a kiss. They stayed there for just a moment, hugging each other tightly and Rurumu stroking Hina’s hair as she always used to. “I missed you.” She whispered. “Thanks for saving me.”

He smiled weakly. “Hey, if I didn’t come to save you what kind of husband would I be?”


	6. The Final Opponent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rurumu and Hinahoho arrive at the treasure room and the Valefor's final trial begins.

When Hina and Rurumu made it to the treasure room, Rurumu noticed a few things very quickly, just the three assassins remained and there was a giant glowing cat in the middle of the room. 

“Oh great...it’s you bitches again…” Ja’far muttered, preparing his weapons. “I was hoping I’d get another chance to kill you!” 

“What happened to that lady that was with you?” Rurumu asked, ignoring the threat. 

“Oh that hag? She’s dead now.” Ja’far said cryptically. 

Vittel shook his head and pointed to a doll of the floor. “The magician lady turned into that thing when we came in here.”

Ja’far shot Vittel a venomous look but said nothing. 

“Well, well, well...Now that everyone’s here may I have your attentions please?” 

Rurumu’s eyes widened when the cat spoke, his voice loud and commanding but also high pitched as though he’d learnt how to speak by children speaking to him as they often do household cats. In other words this cat was magical, clearly very powerful, and very endearing. 

“Since everyone’s is now here, let’s begin the test to see which one of you I’ll choose!” 

“What are you choosing for?” Hina asked curiously. 

“Which one of you will be king of course...after all this is a dungeon.” The Djinn exclaimed matter of factly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Hm...actually now that I think about it…” Rurumu said slowly. “No one ever told me what the dungeon was for...just that it contained great power…..” She frowned. “If it’s not too much trouble, may you explain the purpose of this, please?” 

“What? You don’t think this thing is just going to give you all the answers do you?” Ja’far scoffed haughtily. 

“That sounds like a great idea actually.” The Djinn exclaimed. “In fact I was just about to give you all a briefing.” 

Ja’far scowled then, and Rurumu grinned, winking at him playfully. 

“To start, I am Valefor! The Djinn of this dungeon, also of Falsehood and Prestige.” He said nonchalantly, gesturing to himself. 

“Now as for the dungeon, it is where challengers face all obstacles, overcome all difficulties, and reach the treasury.” Valefor explained carefully. “In the treasury you awake the Djinn, and they chose a king from among the challengers.” 

He gave a casual shrug then. “Normally I would choose a king and the challenge would be over...but I hardly know what to think of you guys...and want to be fair….so there will be one last assesment of who is worthy to be king.” 

“Assesment? The fuck do you mean?!” Ja’far demanded harshly. 

“The power of a king is almighty, it can be a force strong enough to destroy a country overnight, or the ability to gain the wealth needed to buy one. Whomever I choose must be worthy, so I will be selective in who will become king…” Valefor explained. “Now come, who wants to be king?!” 

“Are we allowed to compete?” Vittel piped up, stepping forward a bit. “Leaving the force before would be unthinkable but...with this power we’d be unstoppable! Right Mahad?” 

Mahad stepped forward as well, nodding his head in agreement. 

“Of course you are.” Valefor confirmed. “But I can only give the king’s power to one of you...think that through to conclusion very carefully.” 

“The power of a king huh?” Ja’far was the next to step forward, ignoring the rising tension between his two companions. “With something like that I could live however I wanted with no one to get in my way…must be nice...I want in!” 

“We’ll be competing too, chief!” Vittel exclaimed. “So you’d best watch yourself if you don’t want to get hurt.” 

Ja’far scoffed. “The fuck? You dare compete against me?!” He burst out laughing. “Fine then! I’ll kill you all! EVERYONE HERE WILL FALL VICTIM TO MY BLADE!” 

“Ah-ah-ah just a second.” Valefor stopped him. “I won’t allow any obvious violence. You can interfere with one another but no blatant attacks. I don’t like violence.” 

Ja’far gave a childish pout, as a child does when their favorite toy has been taken away. “B..but my blade…..” 

“Awe….better luck next time, chief.” Rurumu mused, patting him on the head and stifling a giggle when he tried to lunge at her only to remember there would be no violence. 

In truth however Rurumu was thinking things over very carefully. With so much injustice in the world, everything she wanted to change, she would need this kind of power wouldn’t she? After all even as Imuchakk’s finest warrior, she was still singular and when it came to the influence needed to change entire countries and peoples she was lacking pretty seriously. So, if she was able to take this she would have a chance, a real chance at changing everything. For once she was entirely ready to seize her destiny. 

Meanwhile, Hina was deadly silent. Everything was on the line in that moment, his pride, his dreams, his ambition, and his last chance to bring honor to his family. He had to earn the power of this Djinn. 

“I’m competing too!” He exclaimed. “I’ll pass this test and make a pact with you! And then I’ll become a warrior so strong no one can deny me!” 

Rurumu clapped, grinning. “Yay! Go Hina!!” 

Coming closer, she leaned in for a quick kiss to his cheek. “You can do this sweetheart, I believe in you.” She said softly. 

Hina smiled softly. “Thanks, Rurumu.” 

“Also you’ll have to forgive me for this…” Rurumu whispered. 

“Forgive you for what?” 

She planted a soft kiss on his lips before turning and striding forward, raising her hand. “I will also join in the competition!”

Hina gasped. “Rurumu!!” 

She smiled shyly, ducking her head a bit. “I have to try...sorry.” 

He sighed and clutched at his forehead as though he had a headache before taking a deep breath and letting it out. “It’s alright...after all it’s only fair but…” He grinned then, looking up at her with the same playfulness of their youth. “May the best warrior win.”

She grinned back as the both of them took their place standing with the others, and Rurumu found herself reaching for his outstretched hand as they waited to hear what the trial would be. 

“Good I can see the ambition in your eyes! How exciting!” Valefor mused, clenching one fist tightly and squeezing down on it. 

Suddenly purple goo was falling from the cracks in his fingers, forming into something on the ground. “This is your final opponent!” 

“The fastest! Most powerful! And vicious!”

Suddenly the goop formed into a very small purple cat, that stumbled laily and sneezed. 

“My double minifor!”


	7. Becoming King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rurumu and the others complete their trial and Rurumu is chosen as Valefor's king.

This was there last trial? A single cat? A small purple little angel that was as unassuming as Rurumu’s pet polar bear Pipikaki.

Valefor was quick to explain the rules. They were to capture Minifor, without hurting him nor letting him get out of reach, and if they all failed they would trapped there forever. 

Immediately, the others had chased the cat, and were now fighting over it. Rurumu stayed back and watched carefully as first Minifor jumped out of way of Ja’far’s first attack, then she watched as Hinahoho tried to overpower it only to be blocked by Mahad. Then Vittel had an interesting strategy of trapping it in a tunnel and using his long arms to grab it, however Mahad had stopped this effort too. 

Rurumu observed all of this calmly, and then looked to Valefor himself. He was watching the whole thing smugly, clearly amused. 

“That’s right! Go on! Humans never learn.” He taunted. “If only they’d stop to think! But they’re blinded by their desires...so disappointing.”

Rurumu looked between Valefor and the others a moment before making a hasty decision, and stepping forward to address her companions. 

“Listen up everyone!” 

Hina was the first to hear and stop, turning to face her. Soon, the others stopped as well, lending her their attention begrudgingly. 

“What do you want hag? Upset that we’re to fast for you?!” Ja’far demanded harshly. 

Hina cast him a venomous look and Ja’far stuck his tongue out childishly. 

Rurumu just sighed and shook her head. “Not at all...actually I have come up with a plan.”

“Why are you telling us then?” Vittel asked curiously. “Wouldn’t you rather keep your strategies to yourself and use them to compete?” 

“Don’t be an idiot Vittel, she’s obviously lying!” Ja’far scoffed. 

“No I’m not lying!” Rurumu exclaimed. “And to answer your question Vittel, that is your name right? Sorry if I got it wrong...anyway...I am sharing my plan because I believe if we do not work together then we will never catch the cat and be stuck here forever!” 

“Don’t be ridiculous! Only one of us can be king!” Ja’far practically shouted. 

“Um babe….the delinquent might have a point here….only one of us can win…” Hina said, frowning a bit. 

Vittel was glancing between her and the others a bit anxiously. “She...she remembered my name…” He muttered to himself before speaking up. “Well...I think at the least we should hear what she has to say!” 

Mahad nodded his agreement to this while Ja’far and Hina shared a quick sidelong glance before begrudgingly nodding as well. 

Rurumu smiled. “Thank you all for your attention.” She said, her voice taking on the professional tone she utilized while acting as daughter of chief. 

“We’ve tried to chase the cat all this time...but why don’t we try and coax it?” She suggested. “If we all work together to lure it in nicely, we have a much better chance of catching it!” 

“But if we work together even still only one of us can be king.” Hina pointed out. 

Rurumu nodded. “That’s right, and whoever manages to coax the cat to them will likely be the one to accomplish that...however we mustn’t try and sabotage one another’s efforts...this will be a fair and decent competition, understood?” 

The others nodded, and they seemed a bit cheered, although Ja’far was unimpressed. “So what? Are we going to draw fucking whiskers on our faces and meow at it?” 

Rurumu thought a moment. “I mean...we could do that...yeah….” 

Ja’far scowled. “We’re obviously not cats bitch! I was being sarcastic!” 

She just sighed. “Alright...everyone spread out and find where it’s hiding. Once we find it we can start trying to coax it out and to whichever one of us it chooses.” 

As the others began their search, Rurumu noticed Valefor was watching her, she gave a little wave and he winked. Giggling a bit then, she went to look for Minifor as well. 

“Guys I found him!” Vittel whisper shouted, beckoning them all over. Minifor was hiding in the same narrow tunnel as before, and Vittel was about to stretch his arms around on both sides when Rurumu stopped him. 

“Wait...don’t try to force it...it’ll only get away.” Rurumu instructed. 

She turned to Hina then. “You brought things with you correct? Do you have any food?” 

Hina nodded. “Yeah um..fish actually. One second.” 

Rurumu clapped and Ja’far rolled his eyes. 

Hina laid the fish out then, along with some water he’d packed and cut his flask in half to serve as a dish. 

Rurumu spoke up then. “Hey little guy,” she whispered gently. “Would you like to come out? I promise we won’t hurt you.” 

Minifor first smelled the fish and looked around curiously. Gently coming out then, Rurumu shot Ja’far a warning glance before he would try and reach for the cat. 

Minifor started to eat a bit then, before getting bored and laying down, glancing up at them wearily. 

“Alright, Ja’far...since you’re the least threatening looking one here, I want you to slowly reach for him and see if he comes to you.” 

Ja’far nodded and carefully reached for the cat. Minifor stayed still and then in a moment Ja’far had scooped him up. 

“FUCK YES THE DJINN IS MINE!” Ja’far shouted. He dropped Minifor then, who Rurumu caught carefully and gently set down. 

To her surprise Minifor pawed at her again and allowed her to scoop him up. 

“ALRIGHT NOW THAT THIS POWER IS MINE I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!” Ja’far was currently shouting, readying his weapons. 

“Now hold on just a minute!” Valefor spoke up then, having been watching them all in excitement. “The assesment is finished and you all passed...however you are not worthy to be king.”

“The fuck did you just say?!” Ja’far demanded, readying his blades. “I just passed your fucking test! How dare you insult me!!” He attempted to throw his blades at Valefor although the attack didn’t even seem to reach him. 

“Now now calm down kid. Don’t you see what I mean? Such a temper...such a lack of control is unfit for a king’s candidate...and I believe the one who really passed this test is Rurumu.”

All eyes in the room were now on the gentle giant as she blinked. “Oh….nice.” 

“You tricked us!” Ja’far spat. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”  
Hina averted his gaze bitterly. “You always win everything...don’t you?” He muttered darkly. 

“Did you really do that on purpose? That’s kinda fucked….” Vittel chimed in. 

Mahad stayed silent. 

Rurumu stood and shook her head. “No, I didn’t manipulate you...actually I had no idea I would be passing this test...however I was the one who got us to work together...and wasn’t that amazing?” 

Hina looked back up at her then, as well as the others. 

“Hina, you and I were at odds competing for this power, and we both had our valid reasons. All logic would say we’d grow even more distant, but you saved me. Then we helped one another through and just now we worked as a team.” She said softly. “And you three! You’re assassins for goodness sake! You’ve been at each other’s throats from the very moment it became convenient, and yet each one of you was important in this combined effort! You worked together with one another and with us who were previously your enemies.” 

She smiled. “Didn’t it feel amazing? Not having to fight against those we so obviously care about, and becoming a support system to one another instead of a threat! What if we continued to do this!” 

“Just because only one of us can acquire the Djinn’s power doesn’t mean we can’t all benefit from it!” Rurumu exclaimed. “Hina! You wish for this power to become a warrior and to be more respected! Well you don’t need the Djinn’s power itself for that...after all you made your way through a dungeon! You fought many monsters and showed that you have all the capabilities of a warrior! You even saved me! Surely your father will recognize this and I have no doubt that you will be granted all of the glory that you seek!”

“Vittel! Mahad! The both of you wish to leave your guild safely!” Rurumu pointed out, pumping her fist determinedly. “If you need the power of a Djinn to be safe than please, take refuge with me! I will protect you and do whatever is necessary to see that you are safe if you are willing to just take a chance and trust me!” 

Stopping then, her expression softening a bit, she spoke up a bit more gently. “And Ja’far, you simply want an easier life than the awful one you’ve been living correct? You don’t need to be king to have nice things...if you truly wish for time to relax and for more opportunities than I extend the same offer for your comrades to you. How about it? Why don’t we become a team?!” 

There was a long silence, before Vittel and Mahad both nodded. Hina smiled and flashed her a look that said everything and nothing, before he nodded and gave her a shy thumbs up. 

Ja’far however, was unconvinced. He was silent a long moment before he threw his blades at her. Vittel blocked the attack, protecting Rurumu and she blinked, surprised at the action. 

“Vittel stop being an idiot and get out of my way or I will kill you!” 

Vittel frowned. “Chief! Stop! Just for once stop resorting to violence!” 

Ja’far scowled. “No. Fuck you! Fuck all of you!” He took a few steps backwards, and to Rurumu’s surprised she noticed he was staggering. 

“I fucking hate all of you! I would kill you all right now if I could...if I could…” He took another step before her clutched his head and fell over. 

To everyone’s horror Vittel and Mahad fell too. Black, blood like liquid, seeped from their bodies and they began to scream out in pain. 

“I FEEL LIKE MY BODY’S ON FIRE! WHAT IS INSIDE OF ME?!” 

Suddenly, their bodies seemed to dissolve into a million black bird like creatures and they began to swirl around and combine into a single entity in the middle of the room. 

“Quickly! You must destroy them before the-” Valefor stopped talking when he realized it was too late. 

The three assassins, their new companions, were now lost forever. Replaced instead by a dark Djinn.


	8. The Dark Djinn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ja'far, Vittel, and Mahad are forced to transform into a dark Djinn by Falan and Rurumu and Hinahoho defeat it.

Rurumu and Hina stared up at the demon in shock, and instinctively she reached for his hand to realize he was doing the same. 

“How….How are we supposed to fight that thing?!” Hina stuttered out, fear evident behind his eyes. 

“Good question.” Rurumu muttered. She turned to Valefor then. “Hey, how do we defeat this thing? Can we save them at all?” 

Valefor nodded. "That demon takes humans and connects them to its core unharmed, and drains the energy from them. Judging from the flow of Magoi I see, the core is at its chest. If you can destroy the core with a single blow, those three can be extracted from the monster and turned back into humans!"

Rurumu listened carefully and then turned to Hina. “Alright...you can pierce its core and I’ll distract it!” 

“Rurumu wait!” 

Before Hina could warn her the monster was already upon them, slamming its hand down on top of her. 

Hina pushed her out of the way, sending her sprawling to the ground, only to be grabbed by it in the last second. He screamed out as it tightened its grip and tried to crush him. 

“Hina! I’ll save you!” 

Grabbing Vittel’s weapon from where he’d dropped it, she jumped up and went crashing into the demon, cutting its hand off. 

Hina fell to the ground with the disembodied hand and managed to get free. 

“That was a close o- oh no its regenerating.” 

Following Hina’s gaze, Rurumu noticed the hand had grown back and that the woman from before had appeared atop it. 

“I’m afraid I cannot let you do that, daughter of the chief, Rurumu.” The magician said, smiling venomously. 

Rurumu scowled and readied her weapon. “You did this to them didn’t you?” She pounced then, throwing Vittel’s spear at the woman. “I’ll never forgive you!” 

The demon blocked the attack, throwing the blade elsewhere and the magician laughed. “Try as you might...but you will never defeat me…” 

Rurumu resisted a warrior’s cry in favor of turning to Hina. “The plan is like I said before...now get ready to strike!” 

Hina nodded and readied his weapon and she lunged forward towards the demon. 

The monster threw an attack then, attempting to crush her, but she dodged it’s attack. Jumping up onto its arm then, she climbed it as quickly as she could as it tried to crush her with the other. 

Managing to make it up to the demon’s neck she stabbed into it with her spear, causing it to cry out, and used that to keep her balance as she grabbed the creature's arms and pulled them inwards, holding them behind the creatures back all the while keeping herself steady by wrapping her legs around the spear and screaming as the thing thrashed and tried to slip its arms from her crushing grip. 

“Any time now would be great!” She gasped out, biting the thing when it tried to pull one arm free. 

“Alright alright I’m ready!” Hinahoho took a deep breath and readied the spear to throw. “Behold the power of Imuchakk’s greatest warriors! IMUCHAKK HARPOON DEATH STRIKE!” 

Screaming, Hinahoho threw his spear and it pierced through the monsters core, causing it to explode. 

Rurumu went falling straight to the ground, and groaning at the pain of impact, but she was quick to stand when she saw the magician had fallen nearby. 

“No impossible! You barbarians can’t defeat me! I’m Falan the great magician of-” 

“Shut up bitch!” Rurumu, finally at her wits end, cursed before stomping on the hag and crushing her head in. Unfortunately enough, she turned into a doll again, but for now that would have to do.


	9. Depravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ja'far falls into Depravity

“Hey are you guys alright?! Answer me!” 

Hina held Ja’far in his arms as Vittel and Mahad regained consciousness and sat up slowly. 

“We...we’re alright…” Vittel managed to sputter, meanwhile Mahad groaned wearily as Rurumu helped him into a sitting position. 

“Deep breathes. That’s it just take it easy.” Rurumu soothed. “Hina? How is Ja’far?” 

Hina stared down at the child in his arms with concern. “He’s...he’s still breathing….he’s awake? No...he’s still out of it...I think…” 

Rurumu sighed in relief. 

“Wait...miss Rurumu...you...you saved us…” Vittel said blankly, looking surprised as his hands trembled slightly. “Wh..why would you do such a thing?” 

Rurumu smiled softly and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Because it was the right thing to do...how are you feeling?” 

Vittel shrugged. “I feel weary but...a good weary?? As though an evil presence was extracted from me…” 

“An evil presence?” Rurumu repeated in wonder. 

“WAIT NO STOP!” 

The three of them whirled around, and their eyes all widened, their hearts filling with dread. 

Ja’far was being consumed by the monster yet again, the same black birdlike creatures flooding out of him. Hina panicked and held the child tightly although they all saw the monster regenerating. 

Suddenly Falan appeared again, this time out of harm’s reach. “Fufufu looks like I win…” she taunted. “You may have destroyed the first core but it seems this child was already falling into depravity!” 

“What?! Impossible! The child was already falling?!” Valefor himself seemed shocked by this, which was a terrible sign for Rurumu. 

“What can we do to save him? What does that mean?” 

“I...I don’t know..” Valefor admitted anxiously.   
Rurumu thought a moment before she grew desperate. “Then it looks like there’s just one thing to do…” 

Striding forward she grabbed Ja’far, attempting to pull the core out of him. 

“RURUMU STOP A HUMAN BODY CAN’T WITHSTAND THAT!”

Rurumu wasn’t listening, in fact she was barely conscious as though she was being sucked inside the core herself. “I won’t let this child be killed! Don’t worry Ja’far! I’m coming for you!” 

…

Grey. 

Everything was grey and Rurumu was falling. Where was she falling? What was this? Where even was she? 

Suddenly she was seeing flashes of things. Robed assassins. Vittel and Mahad, standing over her, lending a hand. Of being a small child, she could smell a strangely comforting scent and for just a brief moment felt someone holding her as though she was a child again. 

“What is this?” She demanded. “What’s happening to me?” 

“You’re seeing Ja’far’s memories.” 

The voice was so familiar, although Rurumu knew she’d never heard it before. A bit deep, but primarily feminine, it was soft, raw, and very comforting. The sound filled her with a mix of peace and uncertainty. She felt a longing building up inside of her, the feeling of being deprived of love and family. The feelings of a mother and child separated were all to real to her and she knew the sorrows of a lost family. 

“Wh..who are you?” Rurumu whispered, tears coming to her eyes although she couldn’t tell why. 

“I...I couldn’t save him.” Oh. The woman was crying. Was Rurumu crying this poor woman’s tears by proxy?

“Couldn’t save….Ja’far?” Rurumu repeated softly. “Are you...are you Ja’far’s mommy?” 

“We don’t have time for that now.” the woman, presumably Jahduh, if Rurumu remembered the name correctly, stated fiercely. “But...but yes...I am the heartless assassin that brought Ja’far into the world...that couldn’t protect him from the worst of me.” 

“You’re in his subconscious...I am but the ghost of the woman that once raised him...but most importantly...you must find him and save him...if you cannot succeed...he will fall into depravity and never return from the darkness...the darkness I left with him.” 

Rurumu took a deep breath and nodded, her hands trembling. “Don’t worry. I’ll...I’ll protect him...I’ll take care of everything.” 

She felt a smile spreading on her face although it was strange. 

“Thank you…” 

And then the voice was gone and Rurumu had stopped falling. Blinking she looked down at her hands a moment before wiping away her tears. She didn’t know what Jahduh had done, and she didn’t know what horrors Ja’far had been through, but with the promises made from mother to guardian fresh in her heart, she took a deep breath to steel herself and continued to travel through the void of Ja'far Subconscious and dreams. 

...

When Rurumu spotted Ja’far he looked different. Gone were the bandages he often masked himself with, and his clothes, though tattered as always, were whiter, and he seemed like a normal child. More importantly he was crying. Sobbing actually. 

“I...I can’t do this!” He exclaimed. “I want my mommy!” 

He sobbed into his hands before looking around again. “Mama! Papa! Where are you?” He clutched at his shirt, staggering, and she noticed then that he was leaving bloody footprints on the ground of his subconscious. 

“E..everything hurts now...I can’t do this...where are you? Mommy?” He sobbed. “Where is my family?!”

“Hey you!” 

Rurumu tracked the sound to see another Ja’far, this one was the one she was familiar with. Masked in robes and bandages, cold and detached, lacking a childlike faith in humanity. 

“Shut the fuck up already and stop being a wimp!” He shouted at his double, pointing and scowling. 

The other child sniffled. “But I hate it here! It’s dark like mama said and the people are mean..I..I wanna go home!” 

Anger filling him, Ja’far grabbed the other by the collar of his shirt and lifted his up, screaming in his face. “Home? You’ve never had one idiot!” 

“We killed our parents!” He shouted, disgust evident in his tone. “It was the only way to show our strength!” He smacked the other child and dropped him. 

“We’re children born into the assassins fold! Everyone knew we’d have to kill them eventually!” He exclaimed, although his voice was cracking from beneath the bandages. “For us to survive it was the only way...i..it was...that was our only choice...we had to...we had to.” 

He broke down sobbing then and his double joined him. The poor kids were wailing, one crying into his hands while the other clutched at his shirt and sobbed as hard as he could, his whole frame shaking. 

Rurumu had tears in her eyes as she quietly came up to them. “Hey…” 

They both flinched and the masked one took a defensive position. “Get away from here!” He shouted. “This is no place for old hags like you! let us mourn in peace!” 

Rurumu simply shook her head and pulled the both of them into a hug. “I can’t...I can’t leave you here alone, I’m sorry.” She whispered, holding them tenderly and trying to calm them with her gentle demeanor. 

“Ja’far...for so long you’ve been alone...and you’ve had to fend for yourself...to deal with the loss of your parents alone. You’ve been forced into a life of murder and made to do terrible things…” She sighed. “I can’t say I know how you feel...and I can’t promise to fix everything but...please allow me to support you.” 

They both blinked. “What do you mean?” 

“If you don’t have a home I’ll provide one for you. I’ll grant you the life you want...the affection you so desperately need...I’ll show you the way and I’ll help you become whoever it is you want to be just please...please come back with me.” 

“Why should we?” The masked one asked, sniffling. 

Rurumu smiled softly. “Because you’re Ja’far, a talented, wonderful child and because from the bottom of my heart I need you.”

Slowly, the two of them joined hands and then they hugged her tightly. “A...alright...I’ll join you but please….get me out of here...it’s scary.”

“Agreed.”


	10. Valefor's power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is attacked by Sham Lash's remaining assassins and Rurumu uses Valefor's power to face them.

When Rurumu came to she was in Hina’s arms. She blinked and sat up slowly to see the others were standing around them and Vittel was holding Ja’far. 

“Wh..what happened? Is Ja’far still breathing?” 

“I’m fine.” Ja’far answered himself, sitting up slowly. “Ugh my head…” 

“Chief!” He’d barely sat up before he was being hugged by Vittel and Mahad. 

“Fuck! Get off of me you idiots!” 

The both of them were crying then. “We were so worried!” 

Smiling softly, Rurumu turned to face her fiance. “What happened? Why am I so numb?” 

Hina frowned. “After you went unconscious that hag of a magician threw lightning magic at you but...it brought you guys out...so I think it did more good than harm ironically.” 

Rurumu grinned weakly. “Karma sure is swift...where is she anyway? Did you kill her again?” 

He nodded. “Yeah I did...though she’ll probably be back eventually.” 

She sighed. “We’ll deal with it later...right now we should get out of here.”

They were interrupted by Valefor, who transformed into a giant wolf, and though the both of them were shocked, judging from how casually the others looked up at him, they guessed he had taken this form before the arrived in the treasury. 

“Well well well, it seems we’ve gotten distracted from our purpose...I still have yet to choose a king.” 

They all stood then, and Rurumu was surprised when Hina nudged her forward. “Go on...we all believe in you.” 

She turned to face the others and they all nodded their agreement. 

Bravely stepping forward then, she addressed the Djinn. “I Rurumu, warrior from Imuchakk and daughter of chief, would like to make a pact with you, sir!” 

Valefor pointed and nodded. “I have chosen you and acknowledge you as king!” 

In a flash, the dungeon was gone and instead they were sitting in a crater where it used to be. Looking around for the others she sighed in relief when they were all present. Absently, she reached for Hina’s hand to find he was doing the same. 

“Is everyone okay?” She asked softly, looking to the others. 

Vittel was the first to speak, swiping a few stray tears from his eyes. “I...I know this is a bit premature but...I really love all you guys...thank you.” 

“Awe Vittel I-” Rurumu started but was cut off by Ja’far, who immediately stood and prepared his knives. 

“We have more important matters to deal with so shut up all of you!” He exclaimed and gestured for the others to look up. 

All around them were nearly a hundred assassins, all bearing down on them, preparing to attack. 

“We’ve been waiting for you...daughter of Chief Rurumu!” The largest of them, standing in the back exclaimed. 

Rurumu wasn’t afraid although she could sense the others were. Vittel took Mahad’s hand, and Ja’far stood in front of them protectively, glaring up at his ex comrades with more intensity than Rurumu had ever thought possible let alone ever seen.

“We received news from the top of the traitorous acts of those three. Surely, did I teach you nothing?!” 

Ja’far scoffed and the other two scowled. Rurumu noticed that for once Ja’far was silent. Surely this man was the one who caused so much grief and so much suffering. Rurumu felt every inch of her body tensing up and she stared up at her new enemy. 

“Kill them all!” 

The assassins descended on them then, and as the others prepared to fight, Rurumu quickly looked to her metal vessel. The necklace was a bit tacky, but it rested at her chest, granting her the power of Valefor within. 

Taking a deep breath as all moved in what seemed like slow motion, she cried out as clearly as she could. “Djinn of Falsehood and Prestige! I command thee and thy household! Come forth Valefor!” 

The assassins all jumped back, crying out warnings to one another as the leader amongst them watched carefully, appraising, ever calculating. 

There was a tense moment before nothing happened and everyone stared blankly. 

“Well fuck me I guess!” Ja’far scoffed. “Bye guys it was nice knowing you!” 

“ATTACK!” 

Lunging forward then as a group, the assassins took a single step before they fell to the ground, screaming out in pain. 

“THE WATER IS FREEZING! I CAN’T MOVE!” 

All crying out in agony as they froze up and began to freeze themselves, the others looked around in surprise to find that they were not affected as their enemies. 

“Hm...unfortunate.” The man said disinterestedly. “Too bad we still have ranged attacks! SHOOT THEM!” 

The remaining assassins took aim with their weapons, however a booming voice caused them to stop immediately. 

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Suddenly all the assassins were surrounded, by the warriors of the nearby territories. Hina’s father, Imutoto, stood in the midst of them, commanding the assassins to flee. “Insolent intruders you are in our lands! Leave at once or be driven out by the warriors about you!”

“Father!” Hina called out in surprise. 

There was a tense moment before the leader called for retreat and in a flash the assassins all vanished mysteriously, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. 

Only the man remained then and he gazed down at them all coldly, his stare sending chills down Rurumu’s spine as she stared up at the man who had caused her friends so much suffering. 

“I will leave you for now, but never forget this,” he said ominously. “We never leave traitors at large. Chose how you spend your time alive wisely.”

With that he disappeared and there was a moment of peace before Vittel burst into tears. “We’re dead. We’re so dead.” 

Mahad wrapped an arm around his friend and sniffled and only Ja’far was left somewhat calm. He whirled around then, and fearing he’d strike, his companions flinched only to be taken aback when he rested a hand on their shoulders. “Talk like that and you will have never lived at all. So stop it...I’ll...I’ll protect you.”

“Chief….” 

As they calmed down, Ja’far blushed slightly and turned away.”What are you smiling at?” He demanded at Rurumu who was smiling softly at the exchange. “Oh nothing...now come on we need to head back to the village.” 

Following Hina back up then, Rurumu had hardly gotten to the ground before Imutoto was pulling her into a hug along with Hina. “It’s good to see you children back and safe!” He mused happily. Looking up at Rurumu then he grinned. “My Rurumu, you’ve grown stronger since last I saw you. I’m so pleased.”

Rurumu giggled then. “Hello mr. Hina’s dad.” she greeted cheerfully.” Pausing then she looked around. “Where’s the small one?”

“Heyy I’m not that small!” Pipirika could be heard nearby and soon she was grinning up at Rurumu. “It’s been a while miss, nice to see you.”

Grinning Rurumu tousled her hair. “You’re getting to be so big my goodness!” 

Pipirika blushed.”Um thanks. We should get all this treasure back….we’ll handle that though you guys should go rest.” 

Rurumu nodded. “Thank you.” 

“Hey Ja’far!” She called out to the small who was currently standing to the side anxiously.

He looked up at her questioningly. “Yeah?”

She grinned. “We still gotta go shopping!” 

He groaned then and she giggled. “Don’t worry, I’m only teasing but we do need to get you new clothes when we get home.”

He blinked a bit. “Home…” Smiling shyly then he nodded. “Alright...let’s go home then yeah?” 

Nodding then and making sure the others were coming, they made their way home as friends and a family.


	11. The End And The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rurumu confronts her father and arranges to go to Reim.

From there everything went smoothly. Hina, now named Hinahoho, was made a warrior because of his bravery in saving all those in the dungeon with him, and for defeating the dark Djinn. Currently because of Maharajan, Ja’far, Vittel, and Mahad were being spoiled and given all the food and warm clothing they could get. For once everyone was happy. 

Despite all this there was one final challenge ahead, and Rurumu had to face alone this last test that remained. She had to return to her father and tell him of her plans. 

What were these plans exactly? They were simple; The first being to establish trade with the empire of Reim, something Rurumu had been thinking about ever since she’d studied about the country, and the other more difficult task of creating a country. She had thought of it after hearing Ja’far’s first story, granted it had been a lie, but the truth had been far worse anyway so it had only added to her great ambitions. 

So many people, men, women, children, everyone it seemed, were suffering greatly at the hands of great injustice in the world. Imuchakk was in itself the nicest place she’d heard of as of yet and even it had its setbacks, and it certainly wouldn’t ever support outsiders. So, she couldn’t help these people, or change the world, if she remained in Imuchakk. 

So, she would marry Hinahoho, take Ja’far, Vittel, and Mahad, and she would go to Reim to start trade. Then, she would find a way to create the ideal country. However, her father had always had different plans for her. He would surely kill her if she suggested anything different than resuming her duties as a warrior and later taking his place, becoming a fearsome and violent monster just like he wanted her to be. 

“So...I see you’ve returned from the dungeon.” 

All was silent as Rurumu stood with her father, in the empty throne room, with just a few dim candles to set the solemn mood. 

Rurum nodded stiffly. “Yes I have...and I have something I must tell you.” 

Rametoto took a deep calming breath, holding back his anger which was a rare occurrence for him. “And what might that be?” 

She took a deep breath as well and stood up proudly, proclaiming her goal with as must confidence as she dared to gather in the time she had to prepare for this moment. “I am leaving Imuchakk!” 

There was a tense silence before her father stood and grabbed his weapon. “Yes. You’re leaving whether you like it or not because our people have no room for a disgrace like you!”   
Rurumu tensed, preparing for a fight and stroking her new necklace, and metal vessel, for comfort. She had a Djinn now. With this power she could protect herself and the others. 

“I don’t care what you think about me now Father.” She said stiffly. “However, if I am to leave perhaps it would be wise on your part to let me do so in my own terms.” 

“Why do you say that?” He asked sternly. 

Rurumu sighed. “Well...it isn’t becoming of the chief to abuse his daughter in his wife’s absence...nor to snap and kill his subordinates on three separate occasions and then claim they died while out hunting.” 

Rametoto frowned. “You’re your mother’s daughter, you know that?” 

Rurumu beamed. “Proudly.” 

Conceding then, he set down his weapon and took a seat. “What do you want exactly?” 

Rurumu took a deep breath. “I am going to establish trade between Imuchakk and Reim, there is a lot that trading with Reim would offer our people and it would help me in my goal to create another country, one where outsiders and everyone else who needs it can seek refuge and have better opportunities. I’ll need the ships and supplies to head to Reim with and start a company there...I have all of the riches found in the dungeon to fund this so it’s no loss on your part either.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. If that’s all-”

“There’s one more thing actually.” Rurumu interrupted. “I hate to push my luck but...I wish to be married...I am asking for your blessing to marry the other hero from the dungeon Hinahoho.” 

He waved her off. “None of my business. You’re an adult do what you want. I obviously mean nothing to you anyway...if you’re willing to throw away everything I’ve taught you.”

Rurumu frowned. “No...I do care about you...you just never wanted me. You loved the idea of me sure, you liked having a daughter around to force to be whatever you wanted, but you never listened to me. Maybe if you had we would be celebrating right now instead of exchanging secrets in an empty room...If you had just listened to me like mom had-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” He snapped. “I gave you what you wanted so leave me be!” 

Rurumu nodded and left then wordlessly. If her father ever came around she’d be waiting, and she would maybe start to forgive him for what he’d done, however in the meantime these scars were too fresh and the timing was wrong. She hardly cared though, not when she had a new adventure ahead. Everything would begin in Reim.


End file.
